A Glimpse of the Past
by Mooose
Summary: My Halloween treat for you...a finished story about Nick and Sara getting lost in the woods while on a case and going through a crazy night together.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership over any character from the show CSI. No profit is being made from this story.  
  
A Glimpse of the Past  
  
By Moose  
  
Chapter 1  
  
"How in the world did anyone find the body?" Nick Stokes asked as he followed Brass through the dense woods.  
  
"Two hikers were passing by this afternoon," Brass replied, using his free hand to swipe the wayward branches. "It was already dark by the time we got to the body."  
  
"But you say this is the body of an old woman?" Sara called from behind Nick.  
  
"Yep," Brass replied, arriving finally at a clearing. "That was why we immediately ruled out natural death. She couldn't have gone here on her own."  
  
"So where is it?" Nick asked, glad that they have finally reached their destination.  
  
"Just give me a few seconds to catch my breath, will you?" Brass said, wiping perspiration from his face. Sara just emerged from the woods and stood beside Brass. "This way," Brass finally said.  
  
The two CSIs followed Brass to the edge of the clearing. The familiar yellow police line was already set up, and two of Brass's men were guarding the scene.  
  
"There she is," Brass nodded to the direction of the body. Nick followed his glance and saw an old woman lying on her side. From where he was, he couldn't see any signs of trauma or struggle.  
  
Sara had put her gloves on. "Any ID's?"  
  
Brass stayed outside the area closed by the police line. "None."  
  
"Ready Nick?"  
  
Nick nodded and put on a clean pair of Latex gloves. As Sara took pictures, he examined the vicinity. He searched for several minutes, but he didn't find anything. He walked back to where Sara was.  
  
"Are you done?" he asked. "I couldn't find anything."  
  
Sara snapped a couple more pictures. "There, we can move her now."  
  
Methodically, Nick and Sara moved the body until she was lying on her back. They found out that the woman had a purse with her; her previous position just concealed the purse. Sara took a couple more pictures as Nick examined the ground where the body was previously lying on. Still no clue.  
  
"I guess this is all we have," Sara said, motioning to the attractive purse by the woman's side. She opened the purse and caught a whiff of perfume. Nick was now standing beside her, watching her look for anything that could help them move on in the case. Sara found a wallet and handed it over to Nick. As she continued searching the purse, Nick opened the wallet and found himself staring at the woman's ID. "Hey, Sara, look at this," he said, showing the ID to Sara.  
  
"Eleanor Rose," Sara read the name aloud. "This is an ID from Morning Star Nursing Home. Do you know where that is?"  
  
Nick shook his head. "No, but maybe Brass knows." He nodded to the waiting coroner's aides. They entered the restricted area and began loading the body on a stretcher. Sara and Nick walked over to where Brass was standing. Nick showed him the ID.  
  
"I think I know where that is," Brass said. "Come on, I'll ride with you to the home."  
  
"Okay," Sara nodded, bagging the purse and wallet. She followed Brass back into the woods, with Nick just behind her. They walked in silence, concentrating on not losing their footing in the dark and at the same time of not getting hit by the unruly branches from the trees.  
  
Sara almost bumped into Brass when he suddenly stopped in front of her. Behind her, Nick didn't see them stop and actually walked straight into Sara. "Sorry," Nick apologized, reaching out to steady Sara. "Why are we stopping?"  
  
"I must have taken a wrong turn somewhere," Brass replied. Sara looked over his shoulder and saw that they were now at the edge of a clearing. Brass stepped into the clearing and faced them. "We didn't pass this place earlier, did we?"  
  
Sara shook her head. She was looking at the building behind Brass. It was old and dilapidated, and it looked as though no one's been in it for several years. It looked like an old warehouse.  
  
"Hey, this place might be related to our case," Nick said, shining his light on the building. "After all, it's quite near our crime scene."  
  
Sara followed Nick's light with her eyes. "Maybe, but until we know for sure, let's not waste our time exploring some old structure."  
  
"Sara's right," Brass said, heading back into the woods. "Come on, I'll try to get us back to the road."  
  
Sara started to followed him, but she looked back to check if Nick was with them. He was still standing at the clearing, but just when she was about to call him, he turned and headed her way. Sara turned back and walked to the direction where Brass had gone. She and Nick walked in silence for a few minutes, but when they can't seem to catch up with Brass, she decided to call out, "Hey Brass, you'd better wait for us."  
  
There was no reply.  
  
Sara looked back at Nick. Nick shrugged and called, "Brass! Wait up!"  
  
There was still no reply.  
  
"Great," Sara muttered under her breath. She stopped walking. "Do you know where we are Nick?"  
  
Nick looked around him and shook his head. "No. I have no idea Brass could walk that fast in these woods."  
  
"Well, he knows these parts better than we do," Sara said, setting her field kit down. She got her cell phone from her pocket. "I'm calling Brass."  
  
The phone rang for several times but Brass was not answering. Sara just left a message at his voice mail. "What do we do now?"  
  
Nick shone his light around them. "I can't figure out if we're close to the road or not," he admitted. "Maybe we should just go back and try calling them again. I don't want to get lost in these woods."  
  
"Yeah, me, too," Sara agreed, although she didn't like the idea of going back to the clearing with the old building. "Come on."  
  
Nick about-faced and they retraced their steps back to the clearing. They didn't have any trouble finding the place. "Well, here we are."  
  
Sara dialed Brass's number again. This time, a recording informed her that he was out of range. "Out of range," she reported to Nick. "I'll call Grissom and ask him to contact Brass."  
  
Nick nodded and looked at the building. From where he stood beside Sara, the building looked empty. Just then, a light flickered on in one of the windows.  
  
"Griss? Yeah, it's Sara," Sara was saying. "Nick and I got lost in the woods just off Highway 41. Brass was with us, but we lost him. What's that again? No, I can't contact him. Yeah, just tell him we'll be waiting for him at the clearing with the old building. He should know where that is," she paused for a while. "Yeah, okay. Thanks Griss."  
  
"Hey, Sara, look," Nick nudged her right after she ended the call. Sara saw the lighted window. "Come on, someone in there might know how to get back to the road."  
  
Sara followed Nick. They walked towards the door and Nick knocked. Soon, an attractive young woman opened the door. "Can I help you?"  
  
"Hi, we're looking for the way back to the highway," Sara replied with a smile. "Could you-" Sara's sentence was drowned by the rumble of thunder. Before she could continue, rain began falling torrentially.  
  
"You'd better come in," the woman said, opening the door wider. "If you got lost when it wasn't raining, I think you'd be safer to let the rain pass first before trying to find your way back to the road."  
  
Sara followed Nick in. The interior of the building wasn't much different from the exterior, it did seem as if the woman had been existing on the basics. There were no furniture and the lighting was poor. Sara was standing so close to Nick that she could feel him tense. She knew what he was thinking. If this woman had anything to do with the death of Eleanor Rose, they had better stay alert around her.  
  
"I apologize for the light," the woman said. "I hardly stay here, and only the backroom and the office have working light bulbs. My name is Lee, by the way."  
  
"I'm Nick and this is Sara," Nick said. He felt that they shouldn't tell Lee yet why they were wandering in the woods at this time of the night. "We're sorry for the intrusion."  
  
Lee smiled graciously. "No need for apologies. Hikers often get lost in these woods, and I've let several spend the night here."  
  
"We won't be spending the night here," Sara assured her. "When the rain has stopped, we'll be going our way again."  
  
"Okay," Lee said. "Just in case, you'd better rest for a while. If you'll follow me, I have coffee at the office."  
  
Sara glanced at Nick. She knew they should be alert, but somehow, she felt at ease with Lee. Still, it would be better if they were in a better lighted place. Nick seemed to be more relaxed now, but he leaned towards Sara and whispered, "Let's just stay close together, okay?"  
  
In the darkness, Sara nodded and followed Nick, who followed Lee. They both have their flashlights turned on, so it was easier to move in the dark. Lee seemed to be walking towards the other end of the building.  
  
"Well, here it is," Lee said, stopping before a bright doorway. "This is the office."  
  
Sara and Nick cautiously followed her in. There was a couch, and a big antique desk with papers scattered on it. A small stove was at one end of the desk, and there was a pot settled on it.  
  
"Please, have a seat," Lee said, motioning to the couch. "Would you like some coffee?"  
  
As precaution, both declined. Lee didn't seem to mind, and she poured herself a cup before facing her visitors again. "I'm a writer," Lee explained, nodding towards the papers on the table. "I usually go here when I need to be alone."  
  
"What books do you write?" Sara asked politely. She and Nick sat close together on the couch, still not quite letting their guards down.  
  
"Fiction," Lee replied. "Mostly about romance. That's why I like this place. This used to be a studio owned by Richard Stockard, one of the richest and most powerful men in Vegas in the first half of this century."  
  
"I've heard of that guy," Sara said. "So is this where his famous showgirls trained?"  
  
Lee nodded enthusiastically. "Yes. Stockard's son, Bruce, managed this studio. This is actually Bruce Stockard's office. The showgirls that trained here were Stockard's best. There's also this great love story about one of the Stockard's stars, would you like to hear it?"  
  
"Sure," Nick replied, leaning back on the couch. He felt Sara leaning against him, and he shifted ever so slightly so that they both would be in a more comfortable position. Sara didn't seem to mind, and Nick found himself wanting to take her hand. Stop it, you're in a room with a suspect and all you can think of is holding Sara's hand? Nick scolded himself.  
  
"Well, Stockard had this star, Scarlet," Lee began. "They say Scarlet's one of the most beautiful women in her time. She's really talented, too. Her voice was as sweet as a nightingale's and she dances with the grace of a ballerina. So it was really no surprise that she was Stockard's most famous showgirl.  
  
"But Scarlet was not happy to be in Richard's group. She feels that they work way too hard, and most of the other girls were resentful of her. Her only friend in the company was Bruce Stockard. He was the only one who seemed to understand why Scarlet did not want to be a showgirl for the rest of her life. More than anything, she wanted to study and to travel. She became a showgirl just so she could earn the money she needed. So, when she began earning big time, Scarlet began to think of ways to get out of Richard's company.  
  
"Richard, meanwhile, thought of ways of making Scarlet stay. He knew that her leaving could be a huge blow to his business, something that he could not afford at that time, when the country's economy was down because of the Second World War."  
  
"So what did he do?" Sara asked, fighting the urge to lay her head on Nick's shoulder. Focus, Sara. You have to stay alert.  
  
"Richard wanted Bruce and Scarlet to get married. He knew that marriage would bind Scarlet to his company for good," Lee narrated. She took a sip from her cup. "But, good friends that they were, Scarlet and Bruce were never in love. Scarlet loved Bruce's bestfriend Timothy Grant, and Bruce loved Timothy's younger sister Samantha. Richard knew this, and he was not happy with it. You see, not only will Bruce's marriage to Samantha would ruin Richard's plans for Bruce and Scarlet but it would also mean that Richard would have a middle class daughter-in-law. He couldn't take that.  
  
"So, Richard decided to take both Tim and Samantha out of the equation. He had his men tamper with Tim's car. Unfortunately, Bruce decided to join Tim and Samantha at the last minute. All three of them died in the car crash."  
  
"That's so sad," Sara remarked, laying her head on Nick's shoulder. At the same moment, Nick took her hand and held it.  
  
"Yeah," Lee agreed with a far away look in her eyes. "Scarlet almost went mad with grief. Richard was arrested and tried for the crime, but he was acquitted. His company went bankrupt years later. That was when I bought this place."  
  
They sat in silence for a while, until Lee stifled a yawn. Suddenly, Nick and Sara became aware of the time. "Lee, we're so sorry we kept you up this late," Sara apologized. "If you don't mind, we'll just wait for the rain to stop and then we'll just let ourselves out. You go sleep now."  
  
"Are you sure that's all right with you?" Lee asked. Nick and Sara nodded. "Very well, I'll retire now. I'll be in the other room if you need me, okay?"  
  
"Thanks," Nick replied. Reluctantly, he let go of Sara's hand and walked Lee to the door. He closed the door behind her and locked it. He pulled the nearest shelf so that the door wouldn't open even if it was unlocked. "There," he said, satisfied that they were secure.  
  
"Who'll sleep first?" Sara asked, not at all getting up from the couch. "We can't sleep together, you know." The moment she said that, she just wanted to put her foot in her mouth.  
  
"Who says we can't?" Nick grinned, moving closer to Sara. "I just locked us in, Sara."  
  
"Aw, come on, Nick," Sara said, trying not to be affected by Nick's closeness. "You know what I meant."  
  
"No, I don't," Nick said softly. His face was just inches away from Sara's. "Tell me why."  
  
Sara found herself unable to think clearly. "Because we - because - " Sara stammered. She found herself getting lost in Nick's eyes. Her heart was pounding wildly, and all she could think of was how much she wanted Nick to kiss her right then.  
  
Nick closed the gap between them. He gently brushed his lips against hers. Everything fled from his mind except the wonderful sensation that he was kissing Sara. He pulled back a little and looked in her eyes, hoping that he would not see anger or repulsion. Sara slowly opened her eyes and Nick found them reflecting what he was feeling. With a small smile, he pulled Sara closer and bent down to kiss her again. He could feel Sara relaxing in arms and this prompted him to kiss her more deeply. Sara kissed him back with the same fervor, and time seemed to stand still for the two of them.  
  
When they finally separated, Nick sat back but he did not let go of Sara. Sara sighed contently and hugged him back. They stayed that way for a while, neither one speaking and both just enjoying the other's closeness. Soon, both of them had fallen asleep in each other's arms. 


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership over any character from the show CSI. No profit is being made from this story.  
  
A Glimpse of the Past  
  
By Moose  
  
Chapter 2  
  
When Nick woke up, the first thing that he felt was the presence of a warm body on top of him. Sara, he thought, recognizing the scent of her hair. Sometime during the night, he must have shifted his position from sitting to lying down on the couch, and Sara must have gone along with him. He still had his arms around her, and their legs were tangled intimately. Nick freed one arm and began stroking Sara's hair tenderly. He closed his eyes again and wished they could stay this way forever.  
  
Sara stirred just then. "Nick?" There was a slight hint of alarm in her voice.  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"Nick, what happened last night?" Sara asked with urgency.  
  
Nick could now fully sense her alarm. Lazily opening his eyes, he found himself staring at her panicky eyes. "Hey, relax, Sara," Nick said soothingly. "We just fell asleep together."  
  
"Then why am I dressed like this?" Sara was near hysteria. She untangled herself from Nick's arms and got off him.  
  
"What are you talking -" Nick began to say. His eyes widened when he saw Sara. "What happened?"  
  
"I don't know, that's what I was asking you," Sara exclaimed, wrapping her arms around her. All she had on was a very sheer white satin night gown. That was ALL she had on. "Oh God, I don't even own this!"  
  
Nick got up and started to reach for her. Suddenly, he became aware of what he had on. Or rather, what he didn't have on. He found himself wearing only his boxers. "Oh God."  
  
"What happened, Nick?" Sara asked again, sounding calmer this time.  
  
"I don't know," Nick replied helplessly, standing up and looking around him for their clothes. "The last thing I remember was kissing you and falling asleep with you on this couch."  
  
"So that really happened," Sara said softly. "I thought that was just a dream."  
  
Nick turned to her. "Hey, I meant that kiss," he said sincerely. Then, grinning, he added, "So you dream about kissing me all the time?"  
  
"Why you -" Sara started, blushing furiously. For a moment she forgot about what she was wearing and she rushed to Nick and threw him a playful punch.  
  
Nick effortlessly caught her arm. "Easy," he said in a quiet tone. "If it makes you feel better, I also dream about kissing you."  
  
Sara's arm went limp in Nick's hand. "You do?"  
  
"Yup," Nick nodded, pulling her close to him. He grabbed her other arm and raised both arms to his neck. "You are holding me like this," he said, when Sara's arms were resting lightly on his shoulders. Nick then put his arms around her waist. "And I'm holding you like this."  
  
"And then?" Sara whispered, looking up to him. Nick said nothing and just closed in on her. Sara drew her breath sharply as Nick's lips met hers. His kiss was urgent and passionate, and she felt herself wanting to get more of him. She felt his hands traveling up to her shoulders, caressing them and smoothly brushing the lacy straps of her nightgown down to her arms. Sara responded eagerly, pressing herself closer and closer to Nick until she could feel how much he really wanted her. Nick's fingers were getting impatient with her straps, and when they wouldn't slide down her arms, he tugged them down hard and Sara heard the delicate fabric rip. She embraced Nick even tighter, their closeness the only thing keeping the one thing that clothed her. Nick's arms went back around her and he lifted her and carried her back to the couch, his lips never leaving hers. When she felt her feet back on the ground, Sara momentarily stopped kissing Nick and looked at him. "I love you, Nick," she whispered.  
  
At the same time, Nick said huskily, "I love you, Sara."  
  
His kissed her gently once, twice, three times before kissing her passionately once more. Sara kissed him back gamely, and she allowed Nick to step back ever so slightly to let the night gown slide to the floor. Before he could pull her close, he felt her arms move down and tug his boxers. Reaching down to cover her hands, Nick helped her pull it off him. When this was done, they stood close facing each other, but not quite touching.  
  
"Sara, if you don't want to go on, we'd have to stop now," Nick whispered, his breathing ragged. "Otherwise I don't think I'd be able to stop."  
  
Sara looked at him and shook her head. "I don't want to stop now," she sighed, taking his hand and pulling him to the couch. She laid back and the moment their bare flesh touched, she knew that she didn't want him to stop, not for anything in the world. 


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership over any character from the show CSI. No profit is being made from this story.  
  
A Glimpse of the Past  
  
By Moose  
  
Chapter 3  
  
The insistent knocking on the door woke Sara. Nick stirred slightly on top of her, and she shook him awake. "Nick, someone's at the door."  
  
"Go away!" Nick called, not quite up yet.  
  
"Stockard, the troupe's gonna be here soon," yelled the person on the other side of the door.  
  
That woke Nick. "Stockard?" he asked Sara, who looked as mystified as he was.  
  
The pounding at the door continued. "Bruce, if you don't open the door in ten seconds, we're going in and drag you out."  
  
"What the hell is going on?" Nick asked Sara, getting up and putting on his boxers. "I can't even find my clothes!"  
  
"What about me?" Sara exclaimed, slipping on her nightgown. "Look what you did to this."  
  
Nick couldn't help but grin. He gave Sara a quick kiss. "Sorry about that," he said, although his tone told her he wasn't really sorry about it. "I couldn't help it, it's all your fault."  
  
"Yeah, yeah," Sara replied. The pounding at the door just got louder. "What are we going to do Nick?"  
  
"We have to get dressed," Nick said, getting up and going around the room. Sara began looking for their clothes as well, one hand keeping her nightgown in place.  
  
"We're coming in, Bruce!"  
  
Nick leaped in front of Sara just as the door opened. A man in a suit walked in the room, grinning. "I knew it," he said jovially. "I knew she was with you!"  
  
Lee poked her head into the room. "Hey, you two had a great night, I suppose," she said, her tone just as teasing as the man's. "Better get dressed now. Everyone's gonna be here any minute now."  
  
"Lee, I - we," Nick stammered, not quite knowing what he wanted to say.  
  
"Come now, Bruce, no need to explain," Lee said. "I'm sure Tim's perfectly fine with this, aren't you hon?"  
  
The man beamed. "Don't worry, man. I don't have any problems with this. Just as long as you don't hurt her okay?"  
  
"Uh, yeah, I mean, no I won't," Nick replied.  
  
"Now you two put your clothes on," the man said. "We'll be waiting for you at the studio. And if you don't get there in five minutes, we'll be coming back to get you. Hear that, Samantha?"  
  
Sara looked over Nick's shoulder and found the man looking at her. She just nodded.  
  
"Okay, let's go then," Lee said, grabbing the man's hand and pulling him out of the room. "Let's leave your sister and Bruce alone so they can get dressed now." She winked naughtily at Nick and Sara before closing the door.  
  
"What was that all about?" Sara wondered aloud the moment the door was shut. "Lee is acting really weird."  
  
"For some reason, they called us Samantha and Bruce," Nick said, turning around to face Sara. "And that man is acting like Tim. Could Lee be acting her story?"  
  
Sara shrugged. "I don't know. But I don't like this. She could be a psycho, for all we know," she said, resuming her search for their clothes.  
  
Nick's eyes followed her and he can't believe that he wanted to kiss her again. We'd better find those clothes, he told himself, forcing himself to look at the other side of the room. Strange their situation may be, he still couldn't wipe the goofy smile off his face.  
  
"Aha!" Sara's triumphant voice snapped Nick back to reality. "Found them!"  
  
Nick turned and saw Sara behind the desk. He went over there and quickly got into his pants and shirt. He turned around and was amazed to find Sara completely dressed. "Wow, you dress up fast for a girl."  
  
"I had to, with you in such close proximity," Sara teased. "Seriously, Nick, what are we going to do now?"  
  
"Our field kits aren't here," Nick said. "I don't have my gun either."  
  
"Neither do I," Sara remarked. "And my phone's also missing."  
  
Just then, the door opened and the man who was acting like Tim stuck his head in. "Good, you're dressed," he said, entering the room. "Come on, they're ready to start."  
  
"Start what?" Sara asked.  
  
"Dancing, of course," Tim replied, looking at her curiously. "Come on, you know they can't start without Bruce."  
  
"Oh good God, don't tell me I have to dance," Nick muttered under his breath. Glancing at Sara, he said, "Come on, let's get this done and over with."  
  
As they walked towards the door, both tensely watched the man from the corner of their eyes. Nick took Sara's hand and squeezed it reassuringly. Somehow, their cautiousness was more out of habit; instinctively, they really don't feel that they're in danger.  
  
The corridor was now brightly lit, and to their amazement, the empty space that was the bulk of the building was now teeming with beautiful women. There was a grand piano on one side and a band of musicians were waiting with their instruments. Nick threw Sara an I-don't-believe-this look and she mouthed, "Me, too."  
  
"Okay, ladies, let's start now, Mr. Stockard has finally graced us with his presence," called a man standing at the center. He clapped sharply and called, "Places, everybody go to your places!"  
  
Nick and Sara watched in awe as the ladies assembled themselves. The man clapped twice again and the band began playing. Soon, the ladies were dancing. At the middle of the song, the group parted in the middle, exposing Lee. Lee began singing solo and dancing at the center. Apparently, she was the main performer of the number.  
  
When the song ended, the man clapped and exclaimed, "Perfect! Now let's move on to the next number."  
  
The ladies performed several more numbers after that. Nick and Sara watched in amazement from the sidelines, with Tim standing and clapping beside Nick. They still have no idea what was going on, but there seemed to be no other choice for them but to play along.  
  
"This is crazy," Sara muttered halfway through the performance. "I wonder why Brass hasn't reached us yet."  
  
Nick shrugged. "Maybe he had an urgent assignment."  
  
"Shhh," Tim admonished them. The pair fell silent again, and watched the rest of the performance without saying anything.  
  
After the last number, Lee came bounding towards them and fell into Tim's open arms. "Whew, that was exhausting!"  
  
"You were great, Scarlet," he assured her, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. "Wasn't she, Bruce?"  
  
"Yeah," Nick agreed, not at all surprised that Tim called Lee Scarlet.  
  
"Thanks!" Lee beamed.  
  
"Scarlet, honey, I need to take Samantha home now," Tim said, looking at his watch.  
  
Sara looked at Nick in alarm. She wasn't about to go anywhere with this stranger.  
  
Tim saw this. He smiled. "Don't worry, sis, Bruce can go with us if he wants. He has seen tonight's performance anyway."  
  
"Yeah, lucky you three," Lee said, pouting dramatically. "You all can go now and I have to stay here and practice some more."  
  
This is just like Lee's story, Sara thought, feeling a little panicky. If the three of them leave in Tim's car, it could all end up the way Lee narrated the night before. There has to be a better ending to this story, she thought. I don't want to die yet.  
  
Beside her, Nick was thinking of exactly the same thing. Just then, he had an idea. "Why don't I just take Sar - Samantha home?" he told Tim.  
  
"Well, I guess that's all right, but how am I getting to the club tonight?" Tim wanted to know.  
  
"You can take my car," Nick replied. Surely a guy like Bruce Stockard has his own car.  
  
Tim looked at Nick closely. "You don't have your car here, you came with me, remember?"  
  
"Oh, right," Nick said sheepishly. He nudged Sara, asking for help.  
  
Sara thought fast. "Why don't you ride with Lee?"  
  
"What's with you two? You're not at all thinking straight," Tim remarked. "You know Bruce's dad doesn't like that."  
  
"Well, he's not coming tonight anyway," Nick fibbed. "So what do you say, Tim?"  
  
Lee giggled. "Come on, Tim, these two obviously want to spend more time together. Why don't you just do as Samantha suggested?"  
  
Tim looked at Nick and Sara dubiously. "Are you sure your dad's not gonna be there?"  
  
"I'm sure," Nick nodded, hoping he looked and sounded confident. "The keys?"  
  
Tim got the keys from his pocket and handed them to Nick. "Okay, just make sure you take her straight home, you hear me?"  
  
"Yes, we're not going anywhere else," Nick said, grabbing Sara's hand. He began walking towards the exit, Sara in tow.  
  
"Goodbye!" Lee called after them. Nick and Sara paused just long enough to wave goodbye to Lee.  
  
The moment they got out of the building, Nick breathed a sigh of relief. "Now, what was that all about?"  
  
"Beats me," Sara shrugged, surprised to see that morning was just breaking. "A lot of things don't add up."  
  
"At least we're out of there now," Nick said. "But we'll both be dead when Grissom finds out we lost our field kits."  
  
"The purse!" Sara moaned. "I can't believe we lost the evidence."  
  
"Hey, if we could lose our clothes, I think we'll be perfectly capable of losing the purse," Nick remarked, his eyes teasing. Sara was about to answer back when they heard a familiar voice call them.  
  
"Nick! Sara!"  
  
Both of them turned to the direction where the voice came from and they saw Warrick emerging from the woods. Brass was not far behind.  
  
"Hey, thanks for finally finding us," Sara greeted them. "What took you so long?"  
  
Warrick nodded to Brass. "Chief here couldn't find this clearing."  
  
"Sorry guys," Brass apologized. "Everything went haywire when it rained."  
  
"Where are your kits?" Warrick asked.  
  
Nick pointed to the building. "In there. Sara and I had to go in when it rained."  
  
Before Nick or Sara could stop him, Warrick opened the door. Expecting to see a brightly lit studio and to hear music and voices, Nick and Sara were astonished with the dark silence that greeted them. Sara felt chills run up her spine and Nick tensed beside her.  
  
"Come on, let's go get them," Warrick called.  
  
Hesitantly, Nick followed Warrick, with Sara behind him and Brass bringing up the rear. Warrick turned on his flashlight and followed Nick's directions to the office. The whole building was eerily dark and silent.  
  
"There they are," Warrick said, shining his flashlight into the office. Nick and Sara went in and found their field kits on floor by the couch.  
  
"Nick, this is creepy," Sara whispered as she and Nick went to retrieve their stuff. "Where are all those people?"  
  
"How in the world did this happen?" Nick countered. "What will the others say when we tell them our story?"  
  
"Are we going to tell them? We could just say that we went in here when it started to rain."  
  
Nick looked at Sara for a moment. "Okay," he finally said. "That's what we'll tell them."  
  
They grabbed their field kits and followed Warrick out. Neither said a word during their trek back to the road. Both were still trying to figure out what really happened that night. 


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership over any character from the show CSI. No profit is being made from this story.  
  
A Glimpse of the Past  
  
By Moose  
  
Chapter 4  
  
"So you stayed inside the building the whole night?"  
  
Nick and Sara nodded, both feeling uneasy under the inquisitive eyes of Warrick, Grissom and Catherine.  
  
"Well, you're lucky you found shelter from the rain," Grissom remarked, seeing that neither of the two wanted to go into details regarding what happened that night. He decided to let the matter go. He handed Nick a folder and said, "This is Eleanor Rose's file from the home. We did some searching during the night. Warrick and Catherine were able to talk to the people from the nursing home. Apparently, Ms. Rose had this habit of setting off to the woods. She was actually pretty agile, and the home was not far from where her body was found. Robbins said that death was due to natural causes."  
  
"So it was never a criminal case?" Sara asked.  
  
Grissom shook his head. "No, although it did seem to be one at the start. Anyway, the case is now closed." He stood up and headed for the door. "Well, your shift's been over for about an hour now. I'll see you all tonight."  
  
"See you, guys," Catherine followed Grissom's suit and headed out. Warrick remained seated and looked at his friends.  
  
"So nothing really happened?" he finally asked.  
  
"Warrick," Nick and Sara said at the same time.  
  
Warrick grinned and raised his hands in surrender. "Fine, I'll shut up now. In fact," he said, standing up, "I think I'll go home now. We had a rough time last night, with the two of you missing in action."  
  
Nick and Sara watched Warrick leave in silence. When they were finally alone, Nick raised the folder and asked, "Want to look at this?"  
  
"Might as well," Sara said.  
  
"How about a kiss first?"  
  
"Nick Stokes!" Sara exclaimed, looking for something to throw at him. Nick just grinned, set the folder on the table, and went to the other side where Sara was sitting. He half-sat on the table beside Sara.  
  
"Please?" he asked sweetly, pulling her to her feet. He put his arms around her waist and pulled her closer.  
  
"Nick, someone might walk in," Sara feebly protested. She found herself leaning against Nick.  
  
"I don't care," Nick whispered, aiming for her mouth. His kiss was teasing, and Sara playfully responded. When they pulled apart, Nick gently brushed Sara's hair from her face. "Can I come over to your place tonight?"  
  
Sara nodded and gazed into Nick's face. Impulsively, she kissed his nose before pulling back. "Come on, let's look at the file."  
  
Nick reached for the folder with one hand, keeping his other arm around Sara's waist. He opened the folder and when he and Sara saw the picture attached to the file, they almost fainted.  
  
"That's Lee," Sara gasped. They stared at the picture in shock.  
  
"Oh my God," Nick whispered. His eyes traveled to the text. "Eleanor Rose, whose professional name was Scarlet Rose, was one of the most popular Vegas showgirls during her time. Ms. Rose never married, but she was at one time engaged to Timothy Grant," Nick read aloud. "This is way too creepy."  
  
Sara was still speechless. When she finally regained her bearings, she looked at Nick and said, "Now I really can't go home alone tonight." 


	5. Epilogue

Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership over any character from the show CSI. No profit is being made from this story.  
  
A Glimpse of the Past  
  
By Moose  
  
Epilogue  
  
Nick and Sara both decided to attend Eleanor Rose's funeral. When they got to the cemetery, they found quite a large gathering of mostly elderly people attending the funeral. They arrived at the middle of the service, and they stayed at the edge of the crowd.  
  
When the service was over, Nick turned to Sara and said, "Let's go closer."  
  
Sara nodded and held onto Nick's arm as they approached the grave. They had barely walked several steps when a gasp made them stop.  
  
"Bruce Stockard! Samantha Grant!"  
  
"Oh boy, here we go again," Nick murmured, trying to find out who said those words. He didn't need to look far, because the woman who said it approached them.  
  
"Bruce! Samantha!" she exclaimed again.  
  
"I'm sorry, you must be mistaken," Nick said politely. "My name is Nick Stokes and this is Sara Sidle."  
  
The woman looked at Nick, then at Sara, then at Nick again. The air was suddenly filled with excitement. It seemed that everyone agreed with the woman, and Sara could hear mumbling and see people pointing at them.  
  
"I'm sorry," the woman finally said. "It's just - you both have striking resemblance to friends we lost a long time ago. Lee was especially close to them both."  
  
"Did you say Lee?" Sara inquired, her heart pounding faster.  
  
"Yes, that was Eleanor's nickname," the woman replied. "I'm sorry again for mistaking you for our friends."  
  
"No harm done," Nick smiled. The woman then left, and Nick and Sara just stood there.  
  
"So that explains it all," Sara finally said. "Lee, Scarlet and Eleanor were one and the same."  
  
"That was one crazy night," Nick commented.  
  
"So crazy I'm beginning to think it didn't happen," Sara agreed.  
  
Nick reached in his pocket and showed Sara the keys that Tim had given him. "It did happen," he said, with a knowing look in his eyes. He draped an arm over Sara's shoulders.  
  
"I know," Sara replied softly, leaning against him. "I know it did happen."  
  
  
  
  
  
Fin  
  
Author's note: Happy Halloween!!! 


End file.
